H.S. BOYS HOCKEY: Abington defeats Hull/Middleboro

Abington post a a 5-1 win over Hull/Middleboro in the Div. 3 South Sectional quarterfinals on Sunday.

Chris McDaniel cmcdaniel@wickedlocal.com @ChrisMcDaniel88

BOURNE – The best goals are sometimes the unexpected ones.

Abington High freshman Marcus Little had two surprises waiting for him when he looked at the back of the net in the Green Wave’s 5-1 win over Hull/Middleboro (8-seed, 13-8) Sunday in the Div. 3 South Sectional quarterfinals at Gallo Arena.

Little deflected home two of senior captain Jake Quinlan’s shots, the first for a 1-0 lead and the second for 4-1 lead.

“They deflected off my stick both times,” said Little. “(I) just won the face-off and tipped the puck in.

“Didn’t even know I did it, felt great though.”

Little, along with freshman Justin Doherty and sophomore Owen Leary, had a strong night on Abington’s third line.

“He was winning all the face-offs today. He was outstanding today, best game I’ve ever seen him play,” said Abington coach Brian Smith of Little. “Two tips and I think he won every face-off that he was on.”

The win advances Abington (16-seed, 11-7-5) to the semifinals against No. 5 Hanover (14-7) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Gallo.

After one period, Abington held a 1-0 lead and killed off a 5-on-3 penalty, but Hull/Middleboro converted on Abington’s next penalty.

Sachems junior Tommy Bellew tied the game at one on the power play with a back-hand shot that went 5-hole off an assist from Kevin Perry.

“Definitely a couple shifts after that I thought we had momentum,” said Hull/Middleboro coach Scott Drevitch.

The momentum disappeared quickly as the Green Wave scored three more goals to take a 4-1 lead after two periods.

“We never really got out of the game after they came and tied it,” said Smith. “We didn’t get deflated so I think it really focused us more.”

A little over three minutes after Bellew’s tally, Abington senior Joe Marella netted the first of his three tallies off a rebound on a Quinlan (three assists) shot.

Off an assist from Sean Linehen, Marella scored on a breakaway goal for a 3-1 lead and Little’s second tip-in made it 4-1.

“Huge,” said Smith of Quinlan and Marella’s performances. “Joe, I’ve said it before, Joe’s outstanding. Quinny plays the whole game. He’s non-stop, he doesn’t come off the ice when we call him. He’s just a force out there.”

Marella capped the scoring with a late empty-netter.

The seniors (Sean Connor, Tommy Homer, Neil Perry, Tyler Geary, Jeremiah Sylvia) from Hull/Middleboro have left a lasting mark on the newly formed co-op program.

“They’ve done something that no other class has done and made the tournament all four years,” said Drevitch, who was the Middleboro High coach before the teams combined. “They had the first tournament win in school history and they’ve done a great job and help the program move forward. Going with the Hull guys has really helped us this year because we didn’t have the numbers.”

Abington will have a chance to avenge a 5-0 loss to Hanover on Feb. 21 in the semifinals.

“I think we’re ready to go,” said Smith, whose team has outscored opponents 18-4 since trailing Attlelboro, 1-0, after the first period of their preliminary round game. “I think we’re as ready as we’re ever going to be. I don’t think we’ve been hotter than right now.”

Chris McDaniel may be reached at CMcDaniel@enterprisenews.com and followed on Twitter @ChrisMcDaniel88 for tournament updates and scores.